In an unexpected move, Twitch, a platform traditionally associated with video game streaming and esports competitions, has seen a rise in an unusual activity – online hamster race betting.
Hamsters.gg hosts the world’s first live-streamed hamster race, attracting thousands of viewers. The platform features popular race hamsters like “Oliver,” “Popcorn,” “Rocky,” and “Sparky,” and all of the action is streamed on Twitch.
Users place wagers on their favorite furry competitors as they scuttle their way through miniature racetracks, their every move live-streamed for eager bettors and curious onlookers.
The hamsters are not forced to run the races, but if they choose to do so, they run along a track with an overhead camera recording their every move.
Unsurprisingly, concerns have been raised about the welfare of the hamsters involved. RealJonahBlake, who typically provides insights into the crypto gaming industry, conducted a deep dive into the crazy new internet trend.
“These hamsters are well taken care of,” Jonah claimed. “I have no idea, I have no proof of this, but if I thought they were actually in danger, I wouldn’t even consider making this video.”
Jonah interviewed a rodent lab worker who believes that the hamster races could be taking place somewhere in Europe, following EU animal welfare guidelines.
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The expert also suggested placing hamsters in a hamster wheel, rather than in an unfamiliar environment, might be more humane as new environments can stress hamsters.
I went deep into the belly of the beast to uncover the crazy internet trend in Hamster Betting. Yes, crypto has found product market fit in Hamster race betting. I talk about it here. Feel free to share if you like the content I need numbers for Elon media. pic.twitter.com/c6hJ2dlvPQ
— Jonah 🎮 (@RealJonahBlake) July 22, 2023
Hamsters.gg provides ‘quality of life’ videos, showing the hamsters in their cages before and after the races. These videos are meant to assure viewers that the hamsters are well taken care of, although the conditions have not been independently verified.
The races run every hour and users place bets using a cryptocurrency token called HAMS. Participants use this token to place bets on different hamsters. The races are recorded and streamed on Twitch every hour.
As Jonah mentions, there’s a “game seed” system in place: “That recording’s in a VOD that VOD goes on to the chain and apparently there’s a randomizer a random number generation for the seed which supposedly makes it provably fair.”
It remains unclear whether betting on hamster races is legal or how long this trend will last.